Child Care Grant, Weather Tracking, New OFA Director

Newly appointed Director for Office of the Aging Lyndsay Komosinski.

DELHI - Delaware County Supervisors accepted day-care grants, instituted weather tracking systems, and appointed a new department head at the July meeting.

Child Care

Families meeting specific income requirements are eligible for assistance through the Child Care and Development Fund, also known as the Child Care Block Grant. The federal program provides financial assistance to help make childcare more affordable.

Delaware County Department of Social Services administers the grant with assistance from Delaware Opportunities.

The county daycare services appropriation account required an additional $1,050,000, which supervisors allocated from other budget lines, including foster care, juvenile delinquency, and contractual services. The program is 100% reimbursable. Supervisors also accepted an additional $250,000 for the program.

Funds are expected to support approximately 63 families on the county's waiting list, according to Hamden Supervisor Wayne Marshfield.

New York State increased income thresholds in January, reaching more families. For example, a family of four must make under $113,567.65 annually to qualify.

Marshfield questioned whether funding could continue to support the program as more families apply. Among program modifications included funding for 80 absences up from 20, which troubled Marshfield. Despite concerns, he noted the program is desperately needed to support those who are unable to afford care and keep them employed.

Marshfield was unsure how many families in Delaware County utilize the program.

Families are typically required to contribute to the cost of care on a sliding fee scale, taking into account family size and income. The fee is around 1% of the family's income.

For more information on the program, visit delawareopportunities.org.

Weather Tracking

Supervisors allocated $62,500 from contingency funds for the purchase, instal, and five-year maintenance of ten weather stations.

Delaware County Core Group and the Department of Planning, Parks, and Watershed Affairs are working to address hazard mitigation and storm readiness. The Core Group comprises several county departments and organizations focused on watershed management. Officials have determined emergency planning and mitigation programming limitations are associated with accurate forecasting, storm warnings, and alerts.

The stations are expected to help predict weather patterns, allowing the county to issue emergency warnings in a timely manner and properly prepare for major storms, said Colchester Supervisor and Budget Director Arthur Merrill. "We have lost too many people over the years because we didn't know they (the storms) were comming," he said. Merrill noted that the proposal was discussed in several county committees before being presented to the finance committee.

The stations will provide additional data to the National Weather Service.

New Director

Lyndsay Komosinski was unanimously appointed as Director for Office for the Aging for the remainder of the two-year term left vacant following Wayne Shepard's retirement. Shepard initially retired in 2019, but when a director was needed in 2022, he returned.

"Wayne Shepard's unwavering dedication to our senior citizens has profoundly impacted Delaware County. His leadership and compassion have set a standard for public service. We are deeply grateful for his years of commitment and wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement," Supervisor Chairman Tina Molé said in an official social media post.

Komosinski was hired with a salary of $81,394 and a 26-week probationary period. She has worked in OFA since 2017 and was serving as deputy director at the time of her appointment.

In other business

Supervisors paid monthly expenses totaling $2,929,126.70.

Davenport Supervisor Timothy Kelso was absent from the meeting.

A copier for the Personnel Office was purchased at $6,938.21.

The Board of Elections received a $50,000 grant from the Center for Tech and Civil Life to support nonpartisan planning and operationalizing reliable and secure election administration. Equipment purchases under grant funds exceeded original budgeted amounts. Supervisors approved the use of additional grant funds for the purchase in the amount of $11,661.21.

The county paid $66,896.40 from contingency funds for psychiatric services for inmates deemed incapacitated to meaningfully participate in their criminal proceedings.

A 2022 Chevrolet Malibu from the Department of Social Services was approved for sale or trade-in. The car was involved in a collision, Marshfield reported.

Supervisors honored Assistant Fire Chief Jason McGlone of the East Branch Fire Department with a moment of silence. McGlone died while answering a call on July 17th. In an honorary resolution, the County Board documented, "The Delaware County Board of Supervisors offers this resolution in dedication to the heroic and selfless service of Assistant Fire Chief Jason McGlone."

The next regularly scheduled Board of Supervisors meeting is Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 1 p.m.